Agra: The Agra police have arrested a man on charges of repeatedly raping and extorting a teenager who he befriended on social media under a different name.
A car mechanic by profession, Sahil Khan, is now in judicial custody.
Khan masqueraded on social media under the account “Divyanshu Aggarwal” to strike up a friendship with the girl sometime in late 2020 when she was just 14 years old.
They grew close, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Rakesh Kumar Singh told ThePrint, so much so that the girl was emboldened to meet him for a date on 21 December, 2020.
Khan took her to a hotel in Kamla Nagar and slipped something in her coffee. When she felt dizzy, the officer said, Khan took her to a room where he said “she could rest”.
He raped her when she was unconscious and took enough photos and videos of the act, the officer said.
Then began the blackmail, Singh said, adding, she was forced by him again in January 2021 in a hotel in the Sadar area.
In the course of the next three years, Khan managed to extort over Rs 10 lakh worth cash and jewellery from the minor.
Under tremendous mental stress, the cops said, the girl withdrew within herself, which raised the suspicions of the family. The missing jewellery also added to their misgivings.
She admitted to her ordeal when they asked what had gone wrong.
The minor’s father, a reputed textile businessman, scoured the Internet to fish out the true identity of “Divyangshu Aggarwal” and zeroed in on Khan.
He filed an FIR at the Chhatta police station in Agra following which the culprit was arrested.
Singh confirmed that a case has been registered against Khan and his mother Rukhsana for rape, extortion, poisoning, fraud and other charges under the POCSO and IT Acts.
The officer said Khan had many fake accounts on social media. He would pose in front of expensive cars and post these photos to come off as an affluent man.
He had also bought an iphone with the money he extorted from the minor. Cops are scanning for evidence in case Khan has been similarly exploiting other girls.
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